


Painful Truth

by BeautifulHistory



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 11:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20208967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeautifulHistory/pseuds/BeautifulHistory
Summary: My own Dad is emotionally abusive and over the last few days he's been really bad and I needed to get my own emotions out and found this has been the best way.So I am sorry for the emotional rollercoaster.





	Painful Truth

Valerie had now been working at Nonnatus House for over a year and she was still loving every single minute, it’s not to say she had some difficult days but all in all it was the best job as a Nurse and Midwife that she could have ever asked for. However this week would turn out to be rather difficult not only in her work life but in her personal life too.

  
  


**Monday 12th July 1963**

Valerie came down as usual, sitting down at the table to have breakfast with the Nuns and other Midwife’s and then they set to, going into the clinical room to be given their tasks for the day ahead by Sister Julienne as Nurse Crane was in hospital.

“Nurse Franklin, You need to add Mrs. Jennings to your list of house calls, she’s still in a lot of pain and after the fall she had we need to keep an extra close eye, especially now that we know she is expecting and wants to deliver at home.”

“Yes Sister.”

“Nurse Mount, you will come with me to the clinic” 

“Of course Sister.”

“Sister Francis, you will stay here and man the phones.”

“Of course, Sister, working like a well oiled machine now.” Sister Francis smiled, packing up a bag.

Shelagh Turner walked in after answering the phone “Sorry Sister, Mrs. Levett is in labour and as it’s her fifth, things will probably happen quickly.”

“Of course Shelagh of you go.”

“Lucille, Clinic for you as well.”

“Yes, Sister Julienne.”

“Everyone you can go and Valerie I just need to talk to you about who you’ll be seeing before I send you on your way.”

“Alright Sister.”

Everyone left for their days ahead, whilst Valerie stayed behind “Sister?” Valerie asked quietly.

“The young lady you will be seeing,her name is Miss. Dunn however she lives with her Father and her little sister. Her father is emotionally abusive.”

Valerie nodded as she packed up her bag.

“Valerie are you okay with doing this? I can swap you with one one of the other girls if you wish me to?”

“No, no, no. Honestly Sister, she needs someone like me, someone who can relate and not just trying to understand what she is going through but actually understand.”

“Of course.” Sister Julienne smiled, before watching Valerie leave and making her way over to the community centre for the clinic herself. 

Valerie arrived at number 16 Hawthorne Road, and before she even knocked she heard loud shouting from inside.

“Like that day an’ night love.” A neighbour said as she walked past with her baby in a pram.

Valerie knocked loud, so they’d hear her above the shouting “Midwife calling for Grace Dunn.” Valerie waited for a moment “Ms. Dunn, if no one answers, I’m afraid someone more senior will have to call round tomorrow.”

The door soon opened slowly “Hello Nurse.” A man answered, opening the door fully to let Nurse Dyer in “I’s Grace’s Father Ma’am.”

“Father you say?” Valerie frowned, as she walked past Mr. Dunn. 

“That’s right.”

“Dad just go would you. I’ve already asked you to leave.”

“Whatever the lady wants.” Mr. Dunn smiled, before grabbing his hat and coat.

“Not what you said the last three times I asked. I-”

Mr. Dunn didn’t wait for his daughter to finish he just left slamming the door.

Grace burst into tears as soon as he was gone “I’m sorry Nurse, bet you think he seems like a great Father, just like everyone ‘round ‘ere does.” 

“Grace, believe it or not, I don’t think anything of the sort, why don’t we get the kettle on and you can talk to me about everything that’s been going on hmm?” Valerie smiled as she gave Grace a tissue.

* * *

When Valerie arrived back at Nonnatus House, she wasn’t sure how she was feeling.

Sister Julienne, as luck would have it saw Valerie come through the doors. “Valerie! How did it go?”

Valerie didn’t answer.

“Valerie?”

“Oh, sorry, Sister. Well, Ms. Dunn is struggling. Her blood pressure is slightly elevated, so I need to keep an eye on that. I think we should book her into the maternity home, her Father is very emotionally abusive towards her, that much is clear. She wants to move out but since she’s saving for the baby she can’t afford both, is there anything we can do Sister?”

“Let me look into it, I’ll see if we can help her in anyway. How old is she?”

“She’s 19” Valerie replied, setting her bag down. “We have to help her. She’s nearly to term. Her Father thought that by being all smiley to me and putting up a pretence, I wouldn’t see right through him.”

“Indeed.” Sister Julienne replied “Oh, your Mother called whilst you were out, she asked for you to go round and see her and your Gran will be there too apparently.”

“Right, Thank you Sister.” Valerie smiled as she quickly left Nonnatus and walked over to her mother’s, knocking and walking in “Mum? Gran?”

“Love.” Elsie Dyer greeted her granddaughter just as Valerie walked in.

“Gran? What’s going on?”

“Someone turned up out of the blue, your Mum’s in a state and he won’t leave until he’s seen you, but we ain’t leavin’ you alone with him.”

“Who is it?” Valerie frowned, as she walked into the living room seeing her Mum in tears on the sofa and a man standing in the corner “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Is that anyone to speak to your father?”

“Father? That’s funny, considering my Father wouldn’t dare show his face around here. What exactly have you said to my Mother?” Valerie was so angry, she didn’t want to see him ever again, there’s a reason she cut him out.

Although he had never laid a hand on her or her Sisters or her Mother, the abuse was still there. The way he would demean them, or the way he would talk to them, make them feel like everything was their fault and yet he would never take blame for anything. He would always make the biggest scene over the smallest thing, or would say they were making up everything that they knew for a fact had happened, and accused them of lying, making them seem like they were crazy.

They felt crazy, because of the way he made them feel and for keeping him around for as long as they did.

“Nothing, I have never done a thing to your Mother!”

“Yeah. O’course you ain’t.” 

Valerie quickly kneeled next to her Mum “Mum? Mum? Look at me, what did he do?”

“It’s nothing, I shouldn’t let it get to me-”

“She’s pathetic.”

“No you’re pathetic! You always made us out to be crazy! You are abusive-”

“I never laid a finger on any of you!”

Elsie dyer cut in at this point “Yeah, you were always good at that Viktor. Never leaving marks or bruises, never physically hurting them.”

“What do you know about any of it?”

“Family. We talk to each other, I know everything you did and said. Now I think you should go.”

“I don’t think so-”

“Viktor. Go. I don’t want you here, I never want to see you again. You are no Father of mine now get out!” Valerie shouted.

“You ungrateful little bitch! Whether you like it or not, I am your Father, ain’t nothing you can do about it.” Vicktor replied.

“Did you not hear me? Get out! Leave us all alone!”

“You should thank yourselves lucky that you have a Father like me. It’s always poor little Valerie aint it? You can never stop to look at yourself and think maybe you caused all this damage? I am ashamed of you. You’re a disappointment, stop blaming me and maybe look at yourself for once. You have made a decision of not wanting me in your life fine. Your choice.”

“Vicktor. You gave her no other choice but to make that choice! NOW GET OUT BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT!!” Elsie shouted.

Vicktor knew that Elsie would throw him out given the chance so he left before it came to that and Valerie just collapsed.

“I - Gran - it’s my fault -”

Elsie sat beside Valerie holding her Granddaughter in a tight hug “No. Valerie it’s not your fault, don’t you dare blame yourself, not even for a second! Do you understand me? He is a monster.”


End file.
